July 2015

If you hang out with me enough, you’ll notice 2 things. I miss a lot of pop culture references and I tend to blurt out random facts about business, life, or even how some termite species are all blind except for the king and queen. And I will always start my facts with: “I heard on a podcast that…”

I can hear it now “Podcasts? Why don’t you just listen to music?” Why do I listen to podcasts? Sometimes, I just want to listen to someone talk. I want to hear a conversation but not have to put the effort of responding, and finally, I want to learn while driving to pick up my kids after work. I started listening to podcasts in college in order to learn more about my environment and the impact I can have. After years, I have enough podcasts that I have to make constantly sure my phone, and my mind, has enough space. Here’s some of my favorites.

1. The Skeptics Guide To The Universe – This is one of my first podcasts loves. The SGU is a weekly skeptical review of everything from acupuncture to homeopathy. It’s informative, thought-provoking, and highly entertaining. My favorite part of the show: Who’s That Noisy.

2. Being Boss – This recently discovered gem is an excellent way to boost self-confidence, whether you’re a freelancer or not. Kathleen and Emily are great at keeping it real and letting you peek into the world of building up a business.

3. Stuff You Should Know– Josh and Chuck explain everything from puberty to how circus families work. Yes, after listening to this (and the next podcast) you will be known as a know-it-all, fact-hoarder, and even a geek. Wear these titles proudly.

4. Stuff Mom Never Told You – You’ll learn about Slut-Shaming Gynecologists and one even Dad Bods from Christine and Caroline. Share some laughs and start sounding like a feminist after only a few hours with these gals.

5. Invisibilia – From NPR’s duo, Lulu Miller and Alix Spiegel, comes this amazing podcast that will make you stop what you’re doing and marvel at just how intricate the world really is. A few topics they tackle include the woman who physically feels what those around her feel and how to become batman.

When I’m feeling overwhelmed by all the tasks that need to get done, I take out an old fashioned paper and pencil and jot it all down. Everything is categorized by importance, urgency, or how badly I want to get it off my plate. Only then can I sit back, take a breath, and get started on tackling each and every project. Unfortunately, my paper is not always the prettiest!

I’ve created a printable task list that will help me, and you, become more productive, professional, and lessen the frustration that accompanies project overload. The downloadable list can be used as a daily, weekly, or monthly task sheet.

The list features a separate section for the important items. These are your focus. These are what your mission is all about. These are the ones that, once done, you will sleep through the night without horrible nightmares. The “Things To Do” section is for the mundane things. You can use that section for items like remembering to get your niece’s birthday gift, or like me: laundry.

This to-do list also has a portion dedicated to phone calls and emails that have to get done. I advise writing down the phone number or email address of the person you’ll try to reach to avoid procrastination.

The most important portion of the list is the Goal(s) section. Thanks to my high-school art teacher, I now write down a daily goal each morning. Although it was really annoying during 11th grade, I have now realized the importance of writing down goals. It makes them real. It makes them attainable. An example of my daily goal could be “Be Here Now” or even “Figure out how to tell my husband I bought another 5 pairs of shoes – at one time”.

I hope that find this task list helpful, if not, please send me a message on how I can make it better. Want to chat about design, productivity tips, or how to let your husband know you got new shoes, again? Contact me and I’ll buy you a coffee!

Months ago, I had been dreaming of going away for a weekend. I really wanted to see another city and distance myself from work, deadlines, and the constant emails. I finally settled on Chicago but put off packing until the night before! Thankfully, I’m a list person and didn’t forget anything. I created this free travel checklist to make your life, and mine a bit easier and prettier.

So why did I choose Chicago? It was the obvious choice for three reasons:

1. Food – The food. The. Food. Do I need to say more? Yes, I do. I had heard stories about the food in Chicago but experiencing the large variety of offerings was amazing. My favorites were the Al Pastor tacos at Mercadito in River North. Absolutely delicious. And the margaritas made everything so much better! This is one of the first spots I’ll go to next time.

2. Sites – It’s hard to pack everything Chicago has to offer in a couple days. We started off at Millennium Park and took lots of photos while fighting crowds of tourists. We then walked on N. Michigan Ave and turned onto the Navy Pier, where we not only rode the Ferris Wheel, cooled off inside the Crystal Gardens, but we ate some Churros with ice-cream. We continued walking until we found ourselves at the John Hancock Observatory, now 360 Chicago. The view was spectacular and completely worth the ear popping we experienced up and down the elevators. And that was just half the day! We still had museums, the River North, the beaches, Wrigley Field, and the Frank Lloyd Wright Homes. Although we hit lots of places on our list, next time I’m hoping that we’ll be able to fully digest what we’re seeing without rushing.

3. Far, but not too far – Thanks to my mommy guilt, I can’t go away from home for more than a couple days. There’s an odd feeling that something was left behind and that I should be holding someone’s hand while crossing the street. I decided that I needed to get far enough that I wouldn’t rush home if a situation arose, but close enough that if that situation got worse, I could drive back in a night.

Having had a wonderful trip to Chicago (I miss it already) here’s a free downloadable packing list you can use to minimize the risk of forgetting anything and let me know where you’ll be heading late summer! I need more travel ideas.

I’m so glad you’re here! I’m Yasmine, a web and graphic designer located in Columbus, Ohio. An alumni of Columbus College Of Art & Design, I studied Industrial Design, graduated in 2010, and am now owner of Robles Designs. It has been quite a trip!

Think of this site as my happy place. A hub where I can share design inspiration, frustration, and creative block breaking. Want to snoop more about me? Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and even LinkedIn.

Whether it’s to chat about design or where my favorite social dance sessions are at, as always, feel free to contact me.

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I’m so glad you’re here! I’m Yasmine, a web and graphic designer located in Columbus, Ohio. An alumni of Columbus College Of Art & Design, I studied Industrial Design, graduated in 2010, and am now owner of Robles Designs. It has been quite a trip!
Whether it’s to chat about design or where my favorite social dance sessions are at, as always, feel free to contact me.

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